For the second year in a row George Russell will start the Canadian Grand Prix from pole position. He wasn’t able to convert pole to victory on that occasion – but will he this time?
In another repeat of last year, Russell will share the front row of the grid with Max Verstappen. The pair collided while disputing fourth place at the last round, and Verstappen ended up on the brink of a ban because of it. Both would clearly relish getting the upper hand as they face each other again for a potential win.
Unusually, the championship-leading McLaren drivers start off the front row: Oscar Piastri third and Lando Norris seventh. Russell may be ideally placed to become this year’s fourth different winner, but he’s going to have to see off some strong competition first.
Weather
Last year’s Canadian Grand Prix was held in wet conditions but a dry, warm and sunny day is expected tomorrow. Air temperatures should reach around 24C.
Start
At Imola, Russell despaired at how little resistance Piastri offered when Verstappen swept around the outside of him to take the lead at the start. Will he be able to show the McLaren driver how it’s done in Canada?
The run to turn one at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is one of the shortest on the calendar. The opening sequence of corners is unusual, too: the pole winner holds the inside line for a quick left-hander which feeds into a right-handed hairpin.
If a driver on the outside senses they are about to be forced off they have two options. Either cut the corner entirely and rejoin after turn two, which is tricky as it requires a sharp right turn, or risk running out of room at the exit of turn one, in which case it can be hard to avoid a tangle at the next corner.
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The last pole-winner to lose the lead at the start was Lewis Hamilton in 2016 as a fast-starting Sebastian Vettel burst past him from third on the grid. Significantly, Hamilton banged wheels mid-corner with team mate and title rival Nico Rosberg, sending him across the run-off and badly compromising his race.
Distance from pole position to first braking zone. Source: Mercedes
Russell kept his lead from pole position in a standing start on a wet track last year.
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Strategy
Last year drivers chose the following compounds to start the race on:
| Pos. | Driver | Team | Tyre compound |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Russell | Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 2 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | Intermediate |
| 3 | Lando Norris | McLaren-Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 4 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren-Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 5 | Daniel Ricciardo | RB-Honda RBPT | Intermediate |
| 6 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin-Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 7 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 8 | Yuki Tsunoda | RB-Honda RBPT | Intermediate |
| 9 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin-Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 10 | Alexander Albon | Williams-Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 11 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Intermediate |
| 12 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Ferrari | Intermediate |
| 13 | Logan Sargeant | Williams-Mercedes | Intermediate |
| 14 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas-Ferrari | Wet |
| 15 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine-Renault | Intermediate |
| 16 | Sergio Perez | Red Bull-Honda RBPT | Intermediate |
| 17 | Nico Hulkenberg | Haas-Ferrari | Wet |
| 18 | Esteban Ocon | Alpine-Renault | Intermediate |
| 19 | Valtteri Bottas | Sauber-Ferrari | Intermediate |
| 20 | Zhou Guanyu | Sauber-Ferrari | Intermediate |
A pit stop and tyre change costs drivers around 19 seconds compared to a car which does not pit. The drivers have the following tyres available for the race:
| Tyres available for the race | Hard | Medium | Soft | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Driver | New | Used | New | Used | New | Used |
| George Russell | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Max Verstappen | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Oscar Piastri | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Andrea Kimi Antonelli | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Fernando Alonso | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Lando Norris | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Charles Leclerc | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Isack Hadjar | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Alexander Albon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Yuki Tsunoda | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Franco Colapinto | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Nico Hulkenberg | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Oliver Bearman | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Esteban Ocon | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Gabriel Bortoleto | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Carlos Sainz Jnr | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Lance Stroll | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Liam Lawson | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Pierre Gasly | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
The tyres are one stage soft than those used for the race last year. Most teams have tried to preserve their stocks of the harder compounds.
McLaren and Ferrari, whose race pace has tended to be stronger relative to their single-lap pace, appear to be playing to that strength by ensuring they have the option of starting the race on fresh sets of medium rubber. They may lean towards a one-stop tyre strategy if the hard tyre proves up to it.
Overtaking
The DRS zone configuration is the same as it was last year. One of the main overtaking spots at Montreal, the turn 13-14 chicane, is easy to cut and drivers who go off at that point on the circuit must rejoin the track via the designated route or risk receiving a penalty.
The penalty points situation has been a matter of intense discussion after the Spanish Grand Prix, where Verstappen collected three more, putting him on a total of 11 and one away from an immediate ban. The next-highest tally belongs to Liam Lawson, with six:
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Speed trap
Red Bull appear to have trimmed their cars out more than their rivals to improve their top speeds, especially compared to Russell’s Mercedes.
| P. | # | Driver | Car | Engine | Model | Max kph (mph) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Honda RBPT | RB21 | 336.1 (208.8) |
| 2 | 22 | Yuki Tsunoda | Red Bull | Honda RBPT | RB21 | 336.0 (208.8) |
| 3 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Mercedes | MCL39 | 333.1 (207.0) |
| 4 | 44 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | Ferrari | SF-25 | 333.1 (207.0) |
| 5 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Mercedes | AMR25 | 333.0 (206.9) |
| 6 | 14 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | Mercedes | AMR25 | 333.0 (206.9) |
| 7 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Ferrari | SF-25 | 333.0 (206.9) |
| 8 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Williams | Mercedes | FW47 | 332.6 (206.7) |
| 9 | 12 | Andrea Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | Mercedes | W16 | 332.0 (206.3) |
| 10 | 81 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Mercedes | MCL39 | 331.6 (206.0) |
| 11 | 6 | Isack Hadjar | Racing Bulls | Honda RBPT | 02 | 330.8 (205.5) |
| 12 | 5 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Sauber | Ferrari | C45 | 330.5 (205.4) |
| 13 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | Renault | A525 | 330.4 (205.3) |
| 14 | 55 | Carlos Sainz Jnr | Williams | Mercedes | FW47 | 330.4 (205.3) |
| 15 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Sauber | Ferrari | C45 | 329.9 (205.0) |
| 16 | 63 | George Russell | Mercedes | Mercedes | W16 | 329.7 (204.9) |
| 17 | 87 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | Ferrari | VF-25 | 329.6 (204.8) |
| 18 | 30 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | Honda RBPT | 02 | 329.5 (204.7) |
| 19 | 43 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | Renault | A525 | 329.5 (204.7) |
| 20 | 31 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | Ferrari | VF-25 | 328.9 (204.4) |
Safety Cars
The limited run-off and lack of space to recover cars means Safety Car periods and other disruptions are not uncommon at this track. The Safety Car was deployed twice last year.
Grid
The grid for this year’s race is as follows. Any changes between now and the start of the race will be added here:
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Championship implications
If the drivers finish where they start, Piastri will almost double his lead over Norris to 19 points. Verstappen will close in slightly, to 46 points behind.
Over to you
Will Russell become the fourth different winner this year? Will Verstappen stay out of trouble?
Share your views on the Canadian Grand Prix in the comments.
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